HYPOLAIS.
Intermediate between Willow and Reed Warblers; tail square or slightly rounded ; under tail coverts short ; bill broad ; frequent wooded country, gardens, etc. ; insectivorous ; good songsters; nest a cup in fork of bush or tree ; eggs salmon or lilac spotted with purplish black.
Hypolais icterina (Vieillot). ICTERINE WARBLER. Fr. Fauvette icterinc ; Ger. Gartenlaubvogel ; 1 ial. Canapino maggiore ; Swed. Bastardnaktergal.
j 9 Above olive green ; lores, supercilium, ear coverts, and underparts yellow. Wing long and pointed ; ist primary equal to or shorter than coverts, znd between 4th and 5th, 3rd longest ; 3rd to 5th emarginate. Bill brown above, yellowish below. Legs and feet plumbeous. Wing j 76-81, 9 72-78 (W.). Tarsus 20-2 r. Bill 10-It.
Breeds.—Continental Europe, in Scandinavia to about Arctic Circle, Finland, C. and N. Russia to about east to Ufa and N.E. Samara (rare at Orenburg), south to Pyrenees, Switzerland, Italy, Croatia, Montenegro, Bulgaria, and Caucasus ; also Asia to about 85° cast. Migrates ; occurs on passage Sicily, Sardinia, Greece, Asia Minor, Egypt, and Algeria. Occasional in Britain. Winters in Africa.
Hypolais polyglotta (Vieillot). MELODIOUS WARBLER. Fr. Fauvette lusciniole ; Ger. Sanger-Laubvogel ; Ital. Canapino.
j 9 Closely resemble "icterina" but 1st primary longer than primary coverts, 2nd between 5th and 7th ; underparts rather brighter yellow. Bill dark brown above, yellow below. Legs and feet pale slaty brown. Wing shorter, j 62-69, 9 62-66.
Tarsus 19-21. Bill 9-t T.
Breeds.—France (C. and S.), Switzerland, especially S., Italy, Austria, Croatia (rare), Spain, Portugal, Morocco, N. Algeria, Tunisia. Migrates ; occurs Sicily on passage. Winters in Africa.
Hypolais olivetorum (Strickland).
j 9 Above brownish grey, faint supercilium and eye-rim white ; beneath white, greyish on flanks, slight yellow tinge on breast ; outer rectrices margined-white on both webs ; 1st primary much shorter than coverts ; 2nd between 3rd and 5th and about equal to 4th, 3rd longest. Bill above brown, yellow below. Legs
and feet bluish grey. Wing 85-88.5 (H.). Tarsus 22-24. Bill 12-13. Young are more olive on back and duller coloured.
Breeds.—S. Dalmatia, Greece, Greek Islands, Asia Minor, Cyprus, Palestine. Has occurred in Italy and Algeria. Winters in Africa.
Hypolais pallida pallida (Hemprich and Ehrenberg).
j 9 Above pale grey brown, with faint olive tinge ; super cilium and underparts huffish white, flanks tinged brown. 1st primary 3-7 m.m. longer than coverts ; znd between 6th and 7th, rarely 5th and 6th ; 3rd, 4th, and 5th emarginate outer webs. Bill brown, yellowish below at base. Legs and feet pale brown. Wing 64-69. Tarsus 20-22 (II.). 11i11 11-12.
.11reedS.—Egypt (Nile Valley). Migrates ; occurs in winter Nubia and Soudan.
Breeds.—Balkan Peninsula, Rumania, Dalmatia, Greece, Greek Islands, Asia Minor to Persia and Transcaspia. Winters E. Africa and S. Arabia. Once recorded Egypt.
H. pallida reiseri Hilgert. 1st primary to m.m. longer than primary coverts ; paler, greyer, less olive above than typical form. Wing 65-6S (H.).
Breeds.—Oases S. Algeria.
H. pallida opaca Cabanis. A western form of "pallida." Bill larger and broader, 12-13. Wing longer, 66-72.
Breeds.—Middle and S. Spain, Morocco, N. Algeria, Tunisia. Rare visitor S. France, Italy, and Egypt. Winters oases Sahara, and \V. tropical Africa.
Hypolais scita (Eversmann). (" H. caligata" of authors).
Smaller than "pallida," darker and redder above, more rusty on breast ; 1st primary 4-7 m.m. longer than coverts ; 2nd between 6th and 7th ; 3rd, 4th, and 5th longest. Wing 57-61 (H.).
Breeds.—E. Russia (Olonetz and Moscow to Astrakhan and Kirghiz Steppes, Urals, Samara, Orenburg and Volga Valley), Caucasus, also W. Siberia to Yenisei. Winters in N. and C. India.